Sex and the City will forever be one of the biggest inspirations for a lot of young women to choose New York as their second home after leaving their homeland . Coming from cities far different from the Big Apple, such ladies use these emblematic TV series as a source for how true New Yorkers live. They all have the dream of being one of the four girlfriends, having their diverse lives, peppery attitudes, and unstopping enthusiasm and passion (and the hot guys, of course–these girls could be young but they're not stupid).
But now, while re-watching the episodes, I can't help but see other details and ideas implied in the series. One that made a great impression on me was the multiple scenes featuring food from the restaurants, bars, and deliveries that Carrie, Charlotte, Miranda and Samantha consume.
However, the public is not introduced simply to the food. We watch these beautiful, slim and amazing women eating just like we all do when alone at home with a full fridge. But they do it on regular basis ALL THE TIME without the inevitable afterthought, Man, I ate too much! I will become fat. Why is food such a big part of the b-role and set of Sex and the City?
As mentioned above, Sex and the City enriches young women's knowledge about the way New Yorkers live: they have less time than regular people, always running and being late for something, always competing for jobs, tables in restaurants, men and women in bars, or cabs. New Yorkers buy things they cannot afford, finding comfort in the thought that this is building their credit score while actually end up being in a huge debt (remember Carrie with her obsession for shoes, and Big saving her butt with giving her money?).
New York is also the home of so many unorthodox and strange individuals, am I right? The guy Miranda dated, who only wanted to have sex in public places; the fancy one who told Samantha she was the one, but ended up hooking up with another girl WHILE on a date with Sam. Uh, and the sick politician who wanted Carrie to pee on him…like seriously? The worst, however, was this Russian old dude who SLAPPED Carrie in the face when they went in Paris! How dare he?!
True New Yorkers looove their city, and wouldn’t change it for the world.
However, for the sake of this article, let’s have a look at the eating habits of New Yorkers through the lives of Carrie, Miranda, Charlotte, and Samantha.
1. They (almost) never cook.
Carrie uses her oven as a drawer. Miranda lacks the patience and time needed for cooking, and burns stuff all the time.
Charlotte is probably the only one who's shown cooking and experiencing some kind of joy doing so.
However, the number of scenes of her preparing something are far from overwhelming.
And let’s not even talk about Samantha! The only scene I remember with her being in the kitchen was when she put sushi all over her naked body as a surprise for Smith, her handsome actor/model boyfriend. That’s it. Finite.
2. They LOVE going out.
I know you’re thinking "yeah, who doesn’t like going out?" And you're right. But imagine living in the city that never sleeps, with new bars and restaurants opening every minute, each one trying to be more creative and innovative than all the zillion rest. Good luck resisting the temptation of not spending all your money on going out every day.
3. It’s a social activity.
New York is such a big city that people prefer to meet up somewhere central and more convenient, instead of going to somebody’s place for dinner. However, the girls from Sex and the City do both all the time. They would go to Miranda’s to eat pizza and binge-watch soap operas or visit Samantha’s place to eat chocolates and watch some couple from the window on the opposite side having sex.
Or, of course, they would just go to Carrie’s, drink martinis, order delivery, and talk about men. Classic. Food and drinks are a social thing, and New Yorkers know this well.
However, I noticed something very interesting while binge-watching the TV series the other day. The four girlfriends all look beautiful, with nice bodies and skin, dressed well, and in perfect health.
One may think that they barely eat, enslaved by the assumption that women should look like models, meaning eating less food, only salads, and exercising excessively almost every day. In other words, that they have some kind of an eating disorder, a phenomenon too popular and wide-spread among women, especially among those living in big cosmopolitan cities where the female competition is fierce.
These four amazing chicks break this stereotype into small pieces, showing that a woman could look beautiful and be successful without working out, starving herself, and making great compromises:
Carrie eating a $1 pizza with Miranda at a corner pizza place that's smaller than my Manhattan closet.
Samantha finishing a big bowl of popcorn while talking about her new crush. Carrie, ordering so much from McDonald’s like she’s freaking Rockefeller.
Miranda taking a Brownie from the trash and eating it because she can.
We have also seen them eating fruits in Abu Dhabi and salads in restaurants. But the main conclusion is that food is not scary and fattening; that it’s not just something to keep you going during the day.
Food is an experience, a social interaction, love, support, a symbol, and, not to forget–a tradition. Most of the foods featured in Sex and the City are emblematic for New York: the bagels with cream cheese, the $1 pizza, the pretzels sold basically on every corner, the Magnolia Bakery's cupcakes, as well as everything that could be delivered.
Carrie, Miranda, Charlotte and Samantha show to their young female audience that in order to be beautiful, confident, and successful, you have to eat and enjoy life, instead of limiting yourself to only Skinny-Margaritas, low-fat, sugar- and gluten-free products.
However, criticisms and distrust are inevitable. How do they really stay slim during all these years with eating junk, skipping the gym, and drinking themselves out? Maybe they have some kind of an eating disorder? Or they may just seem to eat a lot but actually this is a big visual lie?
True New Yorkers, as widely assumed, have to be slim, and watch what they eat. They know how many grams of fat, carbs, and protein each product they buy has. True, true, and true again.
But here comes the other side of the coin: New Yorkers care about their looks and health, but they also hate being limited from trying new things. Maybe they will eat salads for lunch, or have a healthy smoothie for a snack, but they will also let themselves order a pizza from the local pizzeria when they get back home from work, or enjoy a seven-course prix fixe meal at a fancy restaurant. So yes, critics are right about some details in the eating habits of the four heroines, but, as always, a theory has its many sides and shades.
New York is one of the most diverse cities in the world.
Sex and the City is one of the best TV series of all times.
Together, they complement each other perfectly, forming something beautiful, inspirational, and funny that empowers women and shows them how ambitious, independent, smart, and confident they could be without counting only on their looks and falling into the trap of anorexia, bulimia, or another eating disorder (they are too many nowadays) in order to look magnificent and feel comfortable in their own skin.
Cheers to Carrie, Miranda, Samantha, and Charlotte. Thank you for showing us, the young women of New York, that even if we let ourselves eat a whole bucket of ice cream, or drink ten Cosmopolitans in one night, we will still be beautiful and amazing.